GOP appropriations chairman won’t seek reelection

WASHINGTON—Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N.J., head of the House Appropriations Committee, announced Monday he would retire at the end of his term this year—adding to the long list of Republican chairmen departing Congress. “I have sincerely endeavored to earn that trust every day and I thank my constituents and my home state of New Jersey for the honor to serve and I will continue to do so to the best of my abilities through the end of my term,” he wrote in a statement. The 12-term incumbent took over the Appropriations Committee at the beginning of last year, a powerful post that put him at odds with GOP leaders. Frelinghuysen, 71, originally opposed the first Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare. And late last year he drew criticism from colleagues for voting against the GOP tax plan. In 2016, President Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in Frelinghuysen’s right-leaning district by less than 1 percentage point. Democrats have already targeted the district as a premium opportunity to pick up a seat. Frelinghuysen is the ninth committee chairman to announce his retirement from Congress at the end of this year.